Spend even a short amount of time with woodworker, furniture maker and artist Dan Taylor, and there’s one thing you’ll understand immediately: Dan respects his materials above all else. His material of choice for the past 10 years has been alligator juniper, a small- to medium-sized tree that is native to the Southwest and Mexico. The tree only grows at altitudes of 2,460 to 8,860 feet, and in Coconino National Forest, the trees can be harvested April through December with a permit. Dead trees are the only ones that can be removed from the forest, and Dan only works with dead trees that are still standing. He gathers most of the trees himself and then transports them to his workshop, which sits on 2.5 acres in northeastern Flagstaff at the base of the San Francisco Peaks.
Dan, who was born in Show Low,Arizona, started out in construction, primarily doing trim carpentry, before he began building furniture. He is entirely self-taught. His production area is filled with logs, branches and slabs of wood, all in the process of becoming live-edge dining room and coffee tables, mantles, lamps, wall murals, countertops, clocks, benches, chairs and bowls. Most of his furniture is custom made, but one year ago, Dan and his wife Sarah built a small gallery next to the workshop. (It’s open by appointment only.)There, you’ll see examples of back-lit murals, tables inlayed with turquoise and chrysocolla and Dan’s original photography featuring abstract shots of weathered paint from vintage cars. Don’t miss the snapshot of an enormous alligator-juniper gate that Dan created for a Flagstaff homeowner.
Dan uses every bit of wood from the trees he harvests.The tree trunk might become several tables while the branches are reserved for coasters and clothes hangers. All scraps are burned in the family’s wood stove to keep their house warm during the winter.The oldest tree Dan has ever worked with was nearly 1,000 years old, weighed 4,500 pounds and took 10 hours to harvest. (Note:The older the tree, the deeper red in color the wood.) It all translates into heirloom-quality furniture that has a devoted following in today’s Ikea culture. “When you’re talking about working with materials that are 1,000 years old, you are talking about scarcity,” says Dan. “These trees aren’t replacing themselves quickly.” – Erika Ayn Finch. Photo by Deb Weinkauff.
by appointment only (928-606-1452).
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